The brave and nervous enter new life in school

Separation anxiety: A Year One pupil refusing to let go of his mother’s hand during the morning assembly at SK Silibin in Ipoh.

SHAH ALAM: The little ones bravely stepped into the brand new world of school. Some took it like champs, while others were mighty glad that their parents were around to calm their jitters.

Fayruz Aryan Fazrun, for instance, was so nervous on his first day in Year One that he refused to stay in the classroom.

His mother Suhada Mohamad, 30, tried to calm him down by promising to keep watch from a distance.

But Fayruz Aryan soon broke into tears as she backed away from the classroom.

“He used to go to the kindergarten with his younger brother for two years, but he is a little nervous today because he has not made any new friends yet.

“To be honest, I’m also quite anxious. I hope he will be able to get used to his new learning environment soon,” said Suhada, who took a day’s leave from work to accompany her eldest son on his first day of school at SK Shah Alam.

Over at SK Ampang Campuran, Selangor Education Department director Mohd Salleh Mohd Kassim said 91,656 Year One pupils registered in Selangor for the new school year.

“This is a 7.03% increase from last year.

“The number of registered Form One students also increased by 14.22% to 82,411,” he told reporters after speaking at the school assembly.

Mohd Salleh said the overall primary and secondary school enrolment in Selangor this year increased by 2.15% to 924,868 students.

Asked if any schools in Selangor would be required to combine owing to low enrolment, Mohd Salleh said while there were already a few such schools at present, the state would follow the Education Ministry’s instructions.

He added that while Selangor does not practise the culture of elite classes, the state would work with schools that still practise this to move away from it.

In Ipoh, Perak Education director Datuk Mat Lazim Idris said 32,774 children entered Year One.

He also said 34,817 students had registered to enter Form One in the state.

In Perlis, a total of 10,192 preschool, Year One and Form One students started the 2018 school session.

State Education Department director Izmi Ismail said of that total, 3,699 were in Form One, 3,882 in Year One and 2,611 were preschoolers.

In Kota Kinabalu, parents and teachers took time to ensure that pupils adjusted well to their new school term.

The parents could be seen fussing over their children, making sure they stayed calm and were ready to be left with their teachers.